1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel salts of alkyl aryl polyethyleneoxy sulfonates, their method of manufacture and their use as surfactants in poly vinyl acetate emulsions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Surfactant sold under the trademark Triton by Rohm & Haas Co. and Alipal SE-463 by GAF Corp. are alkyl aryl polyether sulfonate, sodium salts. These sulfonates offer many diversified surfactant properties not commonly encountered in a single compound. They out perform comparable sulfates in offering resistance to decomposition under both highly acidic and basic conditions, thus being suitable in metal cleaning applications for either acid pickling baths or alkaline cleaning formulations. Their excellent compatibility with alkaline detergent builders and their excellent emulsifying character with fats, greases, oils and gelatins afford many applications possibilities in lime soap formulation, the film coating industry, as dye leveling agents, post-latex stabilizers and in emulsion polymerization. A major application for this type of surfactant is a shampoo base for the cosmetics industry where it finds wide applicability because of its detergent, lathering and solubilizing properties.
However, it has now been found that in certain applications, as for example the production of high solids content, poly vinyl acetate emulsions, coagulation occurs when attempting to produce emulsions having less than 40% water.
The production of high solids content latexes has long been considered to be desirable, the advantage being the maximizing use of production equipment and the minimization of the quantity of water which must be shipped in a latex. High solids content emulsions tend to coagulate immediate or become unstable after relatively short periods of storage. For example, in the production of vinyl acetate, the preparation of high solids content emulsions has necessitated the use of phosphate type surfactants, protective colloids and/or special processing, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,563. The heretofore employed procedures and formulations have proven to be inadequate because of unfavorable economic factors and/or environmental considerations. Although it would be highly desirable to eliminate the use of a protective colloid thereby providing a cost reduction in the system, repeated attempts to produce such systems have proven unsuccessful. U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,563 which is directed to the production of high solid aqueous polymer emulsions suggests the use of surfactants such as, alkylphenoxy poly(ethyleneoxy) ethanols, as well as the use of higher molecular weight sulfates and sulfonates. Among the materials specifically referred to in the aforenoted patent are alkylphenoxy poly(ethyleneoxy) ethanols which contain from about 30 to about 100 ethyleneoxy units, and typical anionic surfactants, e.g., an ethoxylated higher fatty acid which has also been sulfonated. In order to produce a stable emulsion employing the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,563, it is necessary to employ one or more protective colloids, particularly when a reflux type polymerization is carried out using vinyl acetate, or the like, as part of the monomer charge. Included among such materials are either linkage containing protective colloids, such as hydroxy methyl cellulose, hydroxy ethyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxy ethyl cellulose, carboxy methyl cellulose, ethoxylated starch derivatives, and the like. Other protective colloid forming substances, i.e., those containing no ether linkages, are also disclosed as being usable, either alone or together with the aforementioned ether linkage-containing materials.